Popular Charlotte arts group lands first federal grant at crucial financial time
ArtPop, the Charlotte nonprofit known for turning billboards into public art displays, has received a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, less than a year after it made a public plea for donations it needed to survive.
This is the first time in the organization’s 13-year history that it has been awarded federal funding, a recognition ArtPop founder and executive director Wendy Hickey called a “powerful example of national recognition meeting local impact.”
The NEA grant, which is intended to be matched by community donations, is critical for ArtPop. The funding will cover an estimated 22% of the budget for the 2026 Artist Cohort billboard program and 8% of the nonprofit’s overall annual operating budget.
“This grant is both a celebration and an invitation,” Hickey said.
A crucial time for arts funding
The NEA grant for ArtPop arrives at a crucial time for arts funding. Charlotte’s arts organizations have faced cuts financial cuts, including four organizations last year losing NEA grants amid Trump administration cuts and attempted elimination of the agency. One of those Charlotte group’s NEA funding was restored.
Last year, facing a funding crisis and on the brink of closure, ArtPop turned its colorful billboards beige. The fundraising campaign directed people to a website to help raise $350,000, which ArtPop said was crucial for survival.
In 2024, ArtPop reported total revenue of $464,497, down 21.8% compared to the prior year, the nonprofit reported to the IRS on its Form 990. Total expenses were $589,356 for a net loss of $124,859.
“When our community shows up alongside institutions like the NEA,” Hickey said, “the arts don’t just survive, they thrive.”
ArtPopt’s artist program expanding
ArtPop is expanding its flagship program, now called Artist Cohort.
Each year, 19 adult artists and one high school student have been featured. But this year, five students will be accepted, Hickey said. Artists can work in any medium from painting and photography to glass, jewelry and quilting.
The billboard art installations can be seen in various public spaces, along highways and roadways, at the airport and shopping centers.
More than 220 Charlotte artists have been featured over the past 12 years through the program, Hickey said. She estimated the total value of the donated advertising space ArtPop provides to its artists each year to be over $8 million.
To apply, artists must live in the Charlotte region. Adult artists must have a website and high school seniors attending college for the arts to apply. Applications will be accepted from Feb. 23 through March 22.
ArtPop is more than billboards
Beyond the billboards, ArtPop offers small business education classes and grants to artists, Hickey said, as well as an artist referral program that has completed 80 projects and paid over $750,000 directly to local artists over five years.
ArtPop also has an upcycling program that uses non-digital billboards to create couture fashion, keeping over 13,000 square feet of vinyl out of landfills annually, Hickey said. The annual fashion fundraiser event in September showcases these upcycled creations.
ArtPop is planning a free gallery exhibition with over 30 artists on Feb. 19 at the Pearl building in uptown.
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This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:14 AM.
